13 Reasons Why Your Company Needs PR

1. You think the copy you wrote for the Web content will work for a news release

2. People are talking about your company online and you just found out

3. Your competitors are kicking your booty with media coverage

4. Your company offers the best product or service ever, but no one knows about it ... or for that matter, knows about your company

5. When a prospect Googles your company, your competitor shows up at the top of the search

6. You are still faxing news releases

7. You can't figure out why the media isn't interested in your story idea

8. You have no idea how to engage online

9. During the interview with a business editor you cross your fingers and hope for the best

10. Even though your industry is taking a beating online, and in the media, you think it won't impact your sales

11. You think social media is for B2C companies

12. Your blog content focuses on how great your company/products/services are

13. You think because you are a "people person" you should be able to handle PR

Take a business breather by giving

Check presentation at Geegan for penny drive from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

It's always great when a plan comes together. After Haiti's earthquake, we at Red Shoes PR felt compelled to give. And after @tommytrc and Mrs. Tommytrc told us about the penny drive going on at Gegan Elementary, we decided to pull our resources together.

In a matter of weeks, with a little bit of help from us at Red Shoes PR, Gegan Elementary school in Menasha raised $2,000 to donate to our local American Red Cross Chapter. Prospera Credit Union counted up the thousands of pennies. Simple Simon Bakery generously donated dozens of cookies for the winning kindergartners and Appleton Sign helped out with a giant-sized check -- which the boys and girls oooo'ed and ahhhhh'ed about!

Yes, we could have just written a check. But all of us working together to better the world in our own little way has huge rewards. It provided all of us at Red Shoes PR the opportunity to get out of the office, see how we could impact others and see firsthand the joy on all of the childrens' faces.That's worth its weight in gold.

Red Shoes Speak No. 16: Olympic Tape Delays

Red Shoes Speak No. 16: Olympic Tape Delays from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess Dennis and Tommytrc discuss the 2010 Winter Olympics and how social media is negatively affecting tape delays in programming. Can networks like NBC continue to control when live events are aired and whether participants can discuss the proceedings in their social networks? Are the big networks acting as gatekeepers and trying to control the message? Control freaks or not, discuss on Twitter using the hashtag #redshoesspeak.

Red Shoes Speak No. 15: Digital Hoarding

Red Shoes Speak No. 15: Digital Hoarding from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Are you a digital hoarder? Tommy and Jess discuss how Gmail and cloud computing have changed the way we store and search for information. Is Google changing the way individuals will file information forever? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter using the hash tag #redshoesspeak.

Red Shoes Speak No. 14 Kevin Smith & Soutwest Air Crisis Communication

Red Shoes Speak No. 14 Kevin Smith & Soutwest Air Crisis Communication from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) was asked to step off a Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) flight on Feb. 13, 2010 due to his size. With over 1.6 million followers, Smith’s Tweets about the situation quickly hit mainstream media and blew up in social media. The Southwest Twitter account responded very quickly and appropriately with multiple apologies. As companies continue to engage in social media, how do they prevent or respond to crisis situations such as this? Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash tag #redshoesspeak.

Red Shoes Speak No. 13: Toyota's Crisis Communications Mishap

Red Shoes Speak No. 13 Toyota's Crisis Communications Mishap from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

 

Red Shoes Speak No 12: Positive Influences on Twitter

Red Shoes Speak No 12: Positive Influences on Twitter from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Does it feel like people are too positive on twitter and social media in general? Do you gravitate to people who are positive in nature? Is your glass half empty or half full? Lisa and Tommy discuss this social media topic in this weeks Red Shoes Speak. #redshoesspeak

Don't over-complicate social media--It's based on relationships

 

 

I tweeted last week about how great it would be if all world leaders could start the day together over a cup of coffee, sitting around the table. There’s something really special about gathering people for a few moments before the day starts, chatting about nothing and everything while enjoying each other’s company. I think a lot of conflicts would be avoided if communication were built on relationships, not of necessity.

 

 

One year ago this month, we at Red Shoes PR attended our first-ever Tweet-up at the mall. To say the least it was a little overwhelming to meet our online friends in person. Fast forward 12 months later, the tweet-ups keep happening and the relationships keep growing.

 

This past Friday more than 35 of us “twitterers” met in person at www.affinityhealth.org St. Elizabeth Hospital for breakfast (full disclosure @AffinityHealth is our client.) to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our very first Tweet-up. For me, it was a celebration of relationships. It’s simply the best of all worlds—technology used to create and enhance relationships. And relationships built to make a better world.

Red Shoes Speak No 11 - Avatar Depression and Economic Escape

Red Shoes Speak No 11 - Avatar Depression and Economic Escape from Jessica Dennis on Vimeo.

Jess and Tommy talk about James Cameron's Epic movie Avatar and the news reports that people are leaving the movie depressed and some even suicidal. Can a nearly 3 hour movie really bring on feelings of depression and make an otherwise normal person suicidal? What do you think? Join the discussion on twitter using #redshoesspeak.

Don't forget company culture when evaluating next career move

Right after my initial contact with Red Shoes PR, I knew that their company culture must be a little different. As hardly any PR agencies had entry-level openings or internships posted at the time of my job search, I began emailing different places asking if there were any openings. I probably emailed about 25 agencies, and Red Shoes PR was the only place that didn’t send me a generic, “No, we have no openings at this time. Please check our Web site for postings.” Karen responded to me and said that while they didn’t have any openings, they were always up for connecting with PR students and invited me in for a meeting.  I was impressed with this response and with their openness.

After my first informational interview with Red Shoes PR, the vibe I got about their company culture was confirmed. I immediately went home and told my roommates that Red Shoes PR was exactly the type of place I wanted to work. Observing the way employees interacted with one another, dressed and even the colors of the walls made me excited about the possibility of working there.

I believe that company culture plays a major role in the attitude, productivity and motivation level. Some aspects of company culture that I think are important are:

1.  Mission and purpose of the organization. Does everyone in your company understand the overall big picture and long term goals of the organization? If employees know what the company’s goals are and feel like their role in the company is valued and contributing to the big picture, they are more likely to have a positive attitude towards their job. Red Shoes PR does an excellent job of communicating to employees what the long-term goals are and how employees contribute to the big picture.

2. Organizational structure. Is your company structured as a traditional vertical hierarchy or is it more horizontal? Are employees encouraged to be competitive with one another or take on more of a team approach? Red Shoes PR aims to lean towards a horizontal structure and definitely takes a team approach. For us, this really seems to work well. Being able to share ideas and have candid conversations has helped me to learn at a much quicker pace than if it were a strict hierarchical structure.

3.  Work environment. Do people in your office sit in their offices with their doors closed? Do you work in cubes? What color are the walls? Do you have strict office hours? These are all details that can affect your productivity and attitude towards work. Until August, all five of us at Red Shoes were packed into 400 square-feet. So, we had no choice but to work closely together. Even as our space has expanded, we try to work collaboratively and spend time working in community spaces. We also have a bit of fluidity when it comes to work hours. We do not have a strict beginning of day/end of day. Everyone works hard and is accountable to one another.

4.  Work/life balance and values. Does your company take a stance on this? Is work supposed to come first? This is one of the most important aspects to think about when seeing if you will fit in with a company, yet often times I think it is overlooked. Red Shoes PR aims to be a company where employees and their families come first. People perform better at their jobs if their lives are balanced and other areas of their life are in check. It is also important to take vacation time and personal time. If work becomes the number one priority/only priority in your life, it is only a matter of time until you are burnt out.

While it may be tempting to get caught up in simply searching for the highest salary during a job search, company culture should definitely be considered. If you are able to find a company whose culture aligns with what you want as an employee, you are going to be much happier and successful in your job.